Wednesday, 27 Feb 2013

Written Answers Nos. 197-205

Íocaíochtaí Deontas

Ceisteanna (197)

Peadar Tóibín

Ceist:

197. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Peadar Tóibín den Aire Ealaíon, Oidhreachta agus Gaeltachta an ndéanfaidh sé liosta a sholáthar de na hirisí agus de na nuachtáin a fuair cúnamh deontais ó Roinn na Gaeltachta, Bord na Gaeilge, Foras na Gaeilge nó Údarás na Gaeltachta ó 1980; agus an ndéanfaidh sé faisnéis a sholáthar i bhfoirm tábla maidir leis an dá bhliain dheireanacha a raibh foilseacháin i gcló lena linn, nó leis na blianta 2011 agus 2012 i gcás foilseacháin atá fós i gcló, is faisnéis i dtaobh cén deontas a fuair na foilseacháin sin, cad é líon na ndaoine a bhí fostaithe leo, cad é líon na gcóipeanna a díoladh i siopaí de réir an eagráin (go laethúil, go seachtainiúil, go míosúil nó de réir cibé minicíochta foilsitheoireachta a bhí acu) agus cad é líon na gcóipeanna a cheannaigh síntiúsóirí de réir an eagráin (go laethúil, go seachtainiúil, go míosúil nó de réir cibé minicíochta foilsitheoireachta a bhí acu). [10586/13]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister of State at the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht (Deputy Dinny McGinley)

Mar is eol don Teachta, is ar Fhoras na Gaeilge atá an príomhchúram i ndáil le foilsitheoireacht na Gaeilge, ar a n-áirítear cúnamh a chur ar fáil do nuachtáin nó irisí atá á bhfoilsiú trí Ghaeilge. Tuigtear dom ón bhForas go bhfuil cúnamh curtha ar fáil do nuachtáin agus irisí mar seo a leanas ó bunaíodh é i mí na Nollag 1999: Lá, Lá Nua, Foinse, Gaelscéal, Comhar, An Sagart, An Timire, NÓSmag, Feasta agus An tUltach. Maidir leis na sonraí atá iarrtha ag an Teachta, tuigim ón bhForas go gcuirfear an t-eolas cuí le chéile agus go seolfar é go díreach chuig an Teachta a luaithe agus is féidir. Maidir le hÚdarás na Gaeltachta, níor thug agus ní thugann an tÚdarás fóirdheontas reáchtála d’aon fhoilsitheoirí nuachtáin nó irise. É sin ráite, tuigtear gur chuir an tÚdarás cúnamh i leith fostaíochta agus oiliúna ar fáil ón mbliain 1980 do chomhlachtaí áirithe foilsitheoireachta nuachtáin agus irisí Gaeilge i ndáil le poist a cruthaíodh sna comhlachtaí sa Ghaeltacht. Tá an t-eolas ábhartha sa tábla thíosluaite.

Foilsitheoir	Foilseachán	Deontas	Tréimhse
Móinéar Teo	Foinse	€72,223	1996 -2001
Foilseacháin an Phobail Teo.	Cuisle	€19,046	1998-1999
Foilseacháin na Ríochta Teo.	Anseo sa Ríocht agus ar fud na Tíre	€12,697	1999
Preas na Gaeltachta	Lá	€49,600	2004 -2006

Maidir le mo Roinn féin, aistríodh an fhreagracht maidir le nuachtáin agus irisí go dtí Foras na Gaeilge nuair a bunaíodh é i 1999. Ní bheadh teacht ar na sonraí atá iarrtha ag an Teachta don tréimhse ó 1980 go 1999 gan chuardach a dhéanamh ar bhonn forleathan sna comhaid ábhartha atá curtha i dtaisce i stóras seachtrach. Ní léir dom an tairbhe a thiocfadh as an dua suntasach a bheadh i gceist chun é sin a dhéanamh.

Departmental Staff Data

Ceisteanna (198, 200)

Sean Fleming

Ceist:

198. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of agency and contract staff currently employed under the aegis of his Department; the mechanism in place for monitoring and managing the associated costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10977/13]

Clare Daly

Ceist:

200. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will outline the numbers and cost of agency staff under the aegis of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11057/13]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht

I propose to take Questions Nos. 198 and 200 together.

Information in respect of the numbers of contract/agency staff employed in bodies/agencies funded from my Department's Vote Group in 2012 is set out in the table below. There has been no change to these numbers thus far in 2013. As the Deputies will be aware, my Department and the bodies under its aegis (other than North South Implementation Bodies) are subject to the moratorium on public sector recruitment and have been directed to achieve a progressive reduction in payroll costs staffing numbers through the implementation of an Employment Control Framework (ECF) over the period 2010-2015. Progress in this regard is subject to regular review in consultation with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

Body	Staff engaged on fixed term contracts as at 31/12/2012	Agency staff numbers as at 31/12/2012	Agency staff employed during 2012	Cost of agency staff in 2012
Arts Council	2	3	3	€180,129
Ulster-Scots Agency*	1	0	0	0
Irish Film Board	2	2	2	€ 43,320
Chester Beatty Library	2	0	0	0
Crawford Art Gallery	4	0	0	0
Foras na Gaeilge*	6	0	0	0
Heritage Council	1	0	0	0
Irish Museum of Modern Art	1	0	0	0
National Concert Hall	1	1	4	€ 30,376
National Library of Ireland	5	1	1	€ 29,487
National Museum of Ireland	3	0	1	€ 38,216
Údarás na Gaeltachta	1	0	0	0
Waterways Ireland*	1	4	25	€517,171
National Gallery of Ireland	16	1	2	€ 46,810
Total	46	12	38	€885,509

*North South Implementation Bodies are not subject to the moratorium on recruitment or the ECF framework.

Departmental Staff Rehiring

Ceisteanna (199)

Joan Collins

Ceist:

199. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of public sector workers who have retired in the past three years within his Department or any office or body under his aegis who have been reinstated; if he will provide details on the pay rates they are receiving; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10989/13]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht

As I have previously advised the House, Údarás na Gaeltachta employed two former members of staff on a temporary basis during 2012. A retired solicitor is currently engaged on a contract which is due to end on 30 April 2013 at a salary of €55,214 over fourteen months. The former CEO of Údarás na Gaeltachta was also engaged as interim CEO of that body at a salary of €20,916 for a four month period which ended on 30th April 2012. I am advised that the abatement principle was applied in both cases. Other than the two cases referred to above, neither my Department nor any other body under its aegis has re-instated retired members of staff in the last three years.

Question No. 200 answered with Question No. 198.

Energy Schemes Issues

Ceisteanna (201)

Gerry Adams

Ceist:

201. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the reasons an insulation grant was refused by Sustainable Energy Ireland to a person (details supplied) in County Limerick. [10550/13]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) administers the Better Energy Warmer Homes scheme under the Better Energy Programme. The Better Energy Warmer Homes scheme delivers a range of energy efficiency measures to households that are vulnerable to energy poverty. The scheme is delivered through a combination of SEAI appointed Community Based Organisations (CBOs), augmented by a panel of private contractors in order to ensure national coverage and via an area based approach. Measures available include draught proofing, attic insulation, lagging jackets for hot water tanks, low energy light bulbs and cavity wall insulation and are free of charge to the customer. My Department has been informed by the SEAI that a surveyor was allocated to the home in question but the homeowner was not able to provide proof of eligibility for the scheme at the time. The scheme is available to homes which meet the following criteria:

- Owner occupied non-Local Authority homes

- Constructed before 2002

- The owner is in receipt of one of the following: Fuel Allowance as part of the National Fuel Scheme; Job Seekers Allowance for over six months and with children under seven years of age; or Family Income support.

If the homeowner is eligible for the scheme they would be welcome to reapply. However, the homeowner will need to provide proof of eligibility. Queries in relation to individual applications are an operational matter for the SEAI and a dedicated hotline can be reached at 1800 250 204. In addition, the SEAI has established a specific email address for queries from Oireachtas members, which can be sent to [e-mail] and will be dealt with promptly.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Scheme

Ceisteanna (202)

Stephen Donnelly

Ceist:

202. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he intends to establish a registration scheme for oil installers and service technicians, similar to RGII, which regulates professionals permitted to work on gas systems, and RECI, which registers those permitted to work with electricity; the steps he has taken to date, if any, to establish this scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10450/13]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources

I assume that the Deputy is referring to the potential dangers that may result from faulty installations, especially carbon monoxide gas, which would be dangerous to people in their homes and at their places of work. In that regard, I was pleased to launch the first Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week on 24 September 2012. The Awareness Week saw a sustained, multi-media publicity campaign to alert people to the dangers posed by carbon monoxide and to give them advice as to what they should do to be safe. The issue was widely reported on television, on national and local radio and in both national and local press. In respect of the possibility for a mandatory registration scheme for oil technicians, similar to those in place for the gas (RGII) and electricity (RECI) industries, I have asked my officials to meet with industry representatives to discuss the matter and I await the outcome of such discussions.

Renewable Energy Incentives

Ceisteanna (203)

Paudie Coffey

Ceist:

203. Deputy Paudie Coffey asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources in the interests of sustainability and the development of renewable energy, the incentives that exist or are proposed, that will facilitate business installing renewable energy infrastructure; if he will outline any proposals that will facilitate the sale or the export of this renewable energy electricity to the national grid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10555/13]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources

The REFIT support system was introduced to support renewable sources of electricity in Ireland. The current REFIT reference rates are as follows:

Technology Price (Euro/MWh)

Large wind = 69.235

Small Wind = 71.664

Hydro = 87.455

Biomass/Landfill Gas = 85.026

Approximately 1900MW of renewable generation is currently connected to the Irish grid and almost 19% of electricity consumed in 2012 is estimated to have come from renewable sources.

Under the current implementation of REFIT only energy exported to the grid is eligible for support from the REFIT scheme. REFIT is a market support scheme which incentivises electricity suppliers to enter so called Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with generators of renewable electricity. To be accepted into REFIT both planning permission and a grid connection are required. Under a PPA, the supplier undertakes to purchase all the output from a selected new renewable energy plant at contract prices which are fixed between the renewable electricity producer and the supplier at the commencement of each individual contract for 15 years. Since January 2012 there is a VAT refund for the purchase of microgeneration equipment for farmers/agricultural businesses. EirGrid is responsible for planning and development of the transmission grid. Grid 25 is EirGrid’s comprehensive strategy for developing the grid over the coming years to meet our increasing renewable energy needs. Through Grid 25 and the implementation plans for the different regions under that strategy, EirGrid has marked out the path for grid development to ensure that we can meet our renewable obligations. More information can be found here: http://www.eirgridprojects.com/.

The behaviour of the power system will change with increasing levels of variable non-synchronous generation on it out to 2020. The DS3 programme is EirGrid’s response to the these issues and involves the development of the appropriate new system operational policies and tools, and the identification of the capabilities and characteristics required from the conventional portfolio to meet the system needs out to 2020. In terms of autogeneration for businesses, policies to support this include CER Decision 09/99, which provides for small renewable and low carbon generators, including autoproduction, to connect to the grid outside of the normal Gate process.

Renewable Energy Generation Issues

Ceisteanna (204)

Paudie Coffey

Ceist:

204. Deputy Paudie Coffey asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources what the micro-generators of renewable energy infrastructure, both domestic and commercial, may expect for price per KWH unit when exporting electricity to the national grid; the way this compares to other EU States; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10556/13]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources

Electric Ireland has been offering a 9c/kwh feed in tariff, on a commercial basis, to domestic microgenerators since February 2009. No other electricity supply company has to date chosen to enter the market and to offer a microgeneration feed-in-tariff on a commercial basis, although the Commission for Energy Regulation invited them to do so. No company has opted to offer, on a commercial basis, a feed-in-tariff for microgeneration to the commercial and industrial sectors. Previously, a joint ESB/Electric Ireland microgeneration support scheme for the domestic sector offering a total of 19c/kwh (comprising 10c/kwh from ESB Networks combined with the 9c/kwh from ESB Customer Supply (now Electric Ireland)) ran for 3 years (February 2009-February 2012) and had a take up of between 500 and 600 installations. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) has been asked to provide my Department with analysis of other means through which the microgeneration sector could be supported, apart from through a feed-in-tariff funded from the Public Service Obligation. In 2009, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) initiated a pilot microgeneration programme. This involved 42 installations of various microgeneration technologies. A final monitoring report on the performance of the installations and learning from the programme is awaited from SEAI. This will inform future policy development. In view of falling technology costs, the Department has also asked SEAI to update analysis on the costs of varying levels of support for microgeneration technologies, with a view to considering how the sector could be supported in the future.

Renewable Energy Generation Issues

Ceisteanna (205)

Paudie Coffey

Ceist:

205. Deputy Paudie Coffey asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the average lead time for the connection of new micro renewable generation infrastructure to the national electricity grid where there is an existing electrical connection to a business or domestic dwellings; the way that compares to other EU states; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10557/13]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources

My Department have been in contact with ESB Networks (ESBN) regarding micro renewable generation. When a micro-generator has been installed and ESBN have received payment for the import/export meter along with the necessary Electro-Technical Council of Ireland (ETCI) electrical certification, ESB Networks will install import/export metering. ESBN have informed us that the average connection time is 10 days approximately. There is no charge to connect a micro-generator to the Distribution Network provided it complies with EN50438. The draft European standard EN 50438 outlines the requirements for the connection of micro-generators in parallel with public low-voltage distribution networks and defines micro-generation as a source of electrical energy and all associated equipment designed to operate in parallel with the low voltage system, rated up to and including:

- 25A at low voltage[230V], when the network connection is single phase, or

- 16A at low voltage [230/400V], when the network connection is three phase.

After the meter has been installed the customer must contact their electricity supplier regarding payment arrangements for any electricity that is exported to the grid. The customer will need to have an agreement with their electricity supplier to purchase the electricity exported and to supply the electricity imported. Both import and export must be with the same supplier. The approach to supporting micro-generated electricity production in Ireland is not out of line with other EU States.